How Prince Philip memorably broke protocol in Fiji in 1953

By Meaghan Wray

October 24, 2018

The
Duke
and Duchess of Sussex
’s royal tour in the South Pacific has
certainly harkened back to tours of
the Royal Family’s
past – especially the time, way back in 1953, when
the
Queen
and Prince Philip visited
during her coronation world tour. Similarly, the tour has been chockfull of
reunions with old connections, including one woman,
Litiana Vulaca, who served the royal couple tea all those years ago.

On Oct. 23, she and other local clan chiefs were able to
meet
Prince Harry –
but the duke went straight to her, crouching down to speak with the woman,
having heard her story in advance of the meeting. Litiana is now 87 years old,
but at the time she met Her Majesty and Philip, she was only 21. Her employer
Frances Lilian Charlton, the principal
of Adi Cakobau Secondary School at the time, gave her one of her most
unforgettable tasks! “I am so happy today because [Harry] talked to me first
and he knew all about my story,” she gushed. “I was 21 years old in 1953 and I was
working for a lady as a housemaid. She taught me a lot about how to do things,
so when the Queen came, they chose me to serve her and the Duke [of
Edinburgh].”

The woman, dressed in a beautiful bright green dress,
continued: “I was so frightened the first time, but I was very, very lucky. She
was so beautiful, with beautiful skin and clothes. I remember that the duke
didn’t use a teaspoon to put sugar in his tea – he picked up the sugar lump
with his fingers. I was shocked.” Though this was technically a breach of
protocol and etiquette, it was a small one that Litiana had the pleasure of
sharing with Philip’s grandson all these years later.

Just a day prior to this heartwarming meeting, the
Sussexes made a glamorous appearance on their balcony at the Grand Pacific
Hotel, just like Her Majesty did with her husband in 1953. And after meeting
Litiana, Harry went solo to unveil a plaque dedicating the Colo-i-Suva forest
to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy. While there, he also used the same shovel
his grandmother did to plant an indigenous Dakua tree at the conservation
project, which was inscribed with the words, ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II, Lautoka, Fiji, December 18th 1953.’

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